The Dementors' Princess
by MysticStoryteller
Summary: The true, tragic tale of Alecto Carrow, her love for Sirius, her hatred for Voldemort and the death that no one knew of. Sirius/Alecto.
1. Opening

The Dementors' Princess

By: MysticStoryteller

Disclaimer: Owned by J.K Rowling. Not I.

Alecto Carrow's life was going downhill. What with the death of her perfectionist, controlling mother, the deadened senses of her abusive, alcoholic, pure-blood-loving father and her manipulative younger brother's constant mind games, her life had hit an all-time low.

At school, she was known as the Princess of the fist, or the Princess of the Dementors because of her anger and tough attitude.

But they never saw her when she was alone, when she was nothing more than a little girl: lost, alone and afraid. She allowed the pain of her past to control her and abused herself when no one knew.

That was of course, until a handsome Marauder came along.

While Alecto deals with her pain, finding three new friends and her growing love for Sirius, she does not know that the Dark Lord wants her and is ready to make her his special protégé.

Come find out the truth about the story of Alecto Carrow's tragic life, her love for Sirius and the death that no one knew about.


	2. Prologue: A Stormy Night

**Title: **The Dementors' Princess  
**Prologue: **A Stormy Night  
**Category: **Harry Potter  
**Author: **MysticStoryteller  
**Summary:** The true, tragic tale of Alecto Carrow, her love for Sirius, her hatred for Voldemort and the death that no one knew of.  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing:** Sirius/Alecto, Alecto/Sirius/Dorcas and hints of James/Lily

**Author's Notes:**_ Hello everyone! So this is the Dementors Princess the true story of Alecto Carrow. Yes, it is Sirius/Alecto. Deal with it. Ahah. And I know it sounds strange, but it's really sweet once you get used to it. As for the length of this story, I expect it to be pretty short. Anywhere from ten to fifteen chapters. So, this is technically the prologue. You get to see a little bit of the Death Eaters, which you will get to see plenty more of later on. Well, that's all I can think of. Enjoy! Feed the craving author by hitting the lovely review button!_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Harry Potter fandom, sadly.

--

**The Dementors' Princess**

Prologue: A Stormy Night

"_For some, their first impulse, is to sink inside themselves_

_Letting their own pain and hurt bubble and boil inside._

_All one must do is reach out and love unreservedly._

_It can change the course of a person's life._

_Forever."_

_--_

The lightning tore through the night, illuminating a cloaked figure staring out of the large window of a very large mansion. The figure smiled; he loved storms. Again, lightning flashed revealing the figure's dark smirk.

He was pleased, very pleased.

Leaving the window, he turned and strode towards a very large, sleek table. Around this table, were sitting several men and women, all dressed in black. They were few, but the man was proud of his small, humble following.

After all, there were many additions to make.

He sat at the head, and placed his hands on the surface. He allowed a small smirk to sweep over his face, making him look highly imposing.

For several moments, there was utter silence. The figure enjoyed feeling the almost tangible tension and fear in the room. He practically thrived from it.

One of his most loyal followers was the first to speak up. "M-my lord?" as usual, the young Lucius Malfoy held himself with an amount of pride that seemed to come with the Malfoy name. But he could tell that the man knew his place, at least here he seemed to.

The figure turned his head. "Yes, Lucius?" his voice was as cold and unforgiving as a chilling winter breeze, but as proud and smooth as velvet.

Malfoy took a shaky breath. "You-u wanted to see us for…a meeting, correct?"

"I did," he placed his hands together to make a sort of sinister steeple.

"What for, my liege?" asked another voice. This one belonged to the very young and dark Bellatrix Black, who, as of late, seemed to have developed feelings for her master. Although the feelings were unrequited, he liked her spirit and enjoyed toying with her feelings. Yet even still, she was a brave woman because she was one of the few who dared look him in the face.

"I would like to begin recruiting. After all, followers are needed to ensure my rise to power."

"But, my Lord Voldemort, are we not enough?" this was little Peter Pettigrew, the whiner. But Voldemort was surprised, considering Peter was not one to speak up.

But he was not pleased. Neither was Bellatrix, it seemed. "How dare you say his name!" she screamed, standing up and pointing at him accusingly.

Peter stood, his hands balled into fists. "I-I-"

Voldemort stopped him. He smirked slightly and motioned for them both to sit. "Now, for the reason we have all gathered. Do you have nominees for new recruits?"

"We do my lord," Bellatrix spoke up, wanting to be the center of attention. "I nominate Amycus Carrow. He is remarkably smart and devious for his age. He would be a perfect addition to the following and would make a wonderful spy."

"Indeed," Voldemort rubbed his chin, as if considering. "Anyone else?"

Luicus Malfoy spoke up next. "How about Narcissa Black?" this was to be expected; Luicus was hoping to catch Narcissa's eye. He would do anything to flaunt his status as a Death Eater.

"Perhaps," Voldemort did not elaborate. But his patience was beginning to wear thin.

Severus Snape, a clever but silent young man, raised his hand slightly. "Yes, Severus?" Voldemort knew who Snape would suggest; Snape was, after all, a very promising Death Eater.

"Why not Miss Alecto Carrow?" He slid a few faded photographs across the table and waited for the Dark Lord's reaction.

Voldemort flicked through the pictures. They were candid, and it was clear that the girl in the picture had no idea it was being taken.

The first picture showed a tall, thin girl with dark hair holding her first up to a large Gryffindor boy's face which wore an expression of sheer terror. The second showed her eating, hunched over a bowl. But the third was the most interesting. It showed Alecto alone in the dark, producing one of the most powerful curses in the Wizarding World:

The Avada Kedavera hex.

It was really quite impressive; a witch of her age would usually not of the courage or the skill to do such a thing. Although it was pointing to nothing, the green light was bright and strong.

Voldemort smiled and turned to face one of the windows.

"Bring me Alecto Carrow," he demanded.


	3. Cliff Diving

**Title:** The Dementors' Princess

**Chapter: **Cliff Diving

**Category:** Harry Potter

**Author**: MysticStoryteller

**Summary: **The true, tragic tale of Alecto Carrow, her love for Sirius, her hatred for Voldemort and the death that no one knew of.

**Rating: **T for violence, wizard cursing, suicidal thoughts, cutting, abuse and dark themes.

**Pairing: **Sirius/Alecto, Alecto/Sirius/Dorcas and hints of Lily/James.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter fandom, much to my dismay.

**A/N: **_Hey guys! So, apparently, a lot of people are interested in this story. But only one has reviewed it. This means I'm forced to do something very cruel: five reviews or no update for two weeks. I know, it's mean, and way to early in the game to do this, but I want to hear what people think and by just adding it to your alert list tells me your interested. Nothing else. So, please do that. On to this new chapter, you finally get to meet Alecto! Aren't you excited? I hope so. She's an interesting one. So, that's it for now, enjoy!_

--

**The Dementors' Princess**

Chapter I: Cliff Diving

--

"Do it Alecto!"

Alecto Carrow had never thought much about death. She was always the invincible one. Death was for the weak. She had never considered her own death.

But as she stood dangerously close to the cliff's edge, it seemed like a pretty good idea to contemplate death. She was a tall girl and very thin. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were deep forest green. She might've been pretty if she hadn't been known around the school as the 'princess of the fist.'

She took a quick look over the edge, beginning to hyperventilate. Behind her, her brother, Amycus, and a few of his friends were watching, excited about seeing this.

"Come on, Allie!" he called, cupping a hand to his mouth; he felt like rushing her, for he knew that she would just irritated and flustered. This would cause her to act rashly, and probably accept the stupid dare that he'd presented to her: jump off a thirty-foot cliff into the Black Lake. In return, he wouldn't tell anyone that she currently had a thing for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

She had reluctantly agreed, knowing that it would hurt her reputation as the tough girl around school if they new her stupid secret. But, as of late, she didn't like her reputation. She was afraid of the way her life was going. A few years ago, she would've laughed had she been told she would be like this.

She took a shaky breath. "Are you going to do this or not?" Amycus called, taunting in his voice.

She turned to look at him. Amycus was dangerously handsome. He, too, was very tall with a sharply pointed chin and a devilish smile. "Godric, stop rushing me!" She twisted back around to look at the water which seemed thousands of feet below her. She got that horrible sickly feeling as she usually did when she looked at heights. She took a small step forward.

"Hurry up you Hufflepuff!" Amycus knew she hated Hufflepuffs (she'd always said they were little pushovers). He smiled to himself, knowing that he was close to pushing her over the edge of recklessness.

Her toes were dangling over the edge now.

_This is stupid, Alecto. He's just doing this to anger you._ She winced as she heard the practical voice resound in her head, as usual. She tried to repress it, but it was no use. _Stop being a monster, Alecto. We both know this isn't who you want to be._

"_Shut up," _she muttered out of the side of her mouth.

From behind her, Amycus called out again. "Stop talking to yourself! Let's go!" He was really getting angry now and she was getting really aggravated. Sometimes she just longed to strangle him.

Ah…the joy of siblings.

The practical voice sighed. _It's your choice. But just remember that you can't keep pretending to be tough for very long. _

There was silence and Alecto knew that her practical, good side was gone- for now at least. But Amycus was tired of waiting around. "Listen Alecto, you need to jump off the cliff in about thirty seconds or I'm telling the whole school that you snogged James Potter."

Alecto blushed angrily; she hated James Potter and wouldn't snog him for the world. He was a pompous little snitch and didn't deserve his popularity. "You wouldn't dare," she gritted her teeth, tired of being black-mailed by her annoying little brother.

"Actually," Amycus said, coming up from behind her. "I would," he murmured the last part in her ear and pushed her with great force.

She seemed to fall through the air in slow motion, listening to the air whistle past her. She was so angry at Amycus, but she knew she probably deserved it. The water came up fast and before she could brace herself, she slammed into the water feeling it close in around her.

For a few moments, she was underwater. The fall had sunk her low into the water and the surface seemed to very far away. She pushed with her legs, trying to swim quickly to the top. But when she saw the shape of several mermaids coming towards her, her lungs began to burn and she panicked.

With all her energy she thrashed her way towards the surface. And just when the black water seemed to darken and she began to loose consciousness, she broke the surface breathing hard.

It felt good to be alive. And for the first time in her life, she was glad for that.

While trying to keep her head above the water, she glimpsed her brother smirking at her from the shore. His arms were crossed against his chest and he seemed proud of himself for being such an arse. Alecto might've cursed at him if she'd had the energy.

But, she was glad she didn't for at that moment the new Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall, came stomping out. She was a young thing, who, had she not worn her hair so tightly and frowned so often, actually might've been a bit attractive. But she was stricter than even the strictest teacher and she seemed to hate Alecto for some reason.

"Ms. Carrow, get out of the water now!" she commanded, gritting her teeth.

Alecto gritted her teeth, annoyed that Amycus had been so hasty as to push her just as the professor had been making her rounds. She waded out of the water, completely soaked, water dripping from her hair.

"You should know better than to swim in the lake!" Professor McGonagall scowled.

Alecto wanted desperately to defend herself and tell the snob that she hadn't been swimming (more like fighting for her life) and that it was all her brother's fault. But something stopped her. It was the looks that she was getting from those watching. They were waiting, excited to see what she'd do, to see if she'd snap.

She pretended to be tough by putting on the mask she knew so well. "Shut up, McGonagall."

The teacher was not pleased. "That is _Professor_ McGonagall to you."

"Why does it matter?" she muttered quietly.

"Detention Miss Carrow!" she yelled.

"In your dreams," she smirked, liking the idea, if only briefly, of being the defiant rebel.

McGonagall was more infuriated. "Detention for a week!"

"Don't try to teach me a lesson," Alecto said, gaining a fake confidence that she knew she would regret later.

"A month!" she shouted, stalking off before any more damage could be done.

Alecto sighed. Why did it matter? Detention or no detention she would always be the same. Detention couldn't change her; she would require something deeper.


	4. Weak

**Title:** The Dementors' Princess

**Chapter:** II. Weak

**Fandom:** Harry Potter

**Author**: MysticStoryteller

**Summary:**The true, tragic tale of Alecto Carrow, her love for Sirius, her hatred for Voldemort and the death that no one knew of.

**Rating: **T for violence, wizard cursing, suicidal thoughts, cutting, abuse and dark themes

**Pairings:** Sirius/Alecto, Alecto/Sirius/Dorcas and hints of Lily/James, plus one-sided Bellatrix/Voldemort and Voldemort/Alecto.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter fandom, much to my dismay.

**A/N: **Hey! I know it's been a while, I've been busy and out of ideas. But, I'm going to push through this, because I really believe in this fan fiction. I've been making a trailer for it, and it's finished, but I need to switch something with the video, but I'll figure it out and let you guys know when it's posted. So, this chapter really shows Alecto's softer side and a little bit of why she is the way she is. So yeah. Enjoy! Read and review, please! Warning: This chapter contains cutting.

--

**The Dementors' Princess**

Chapter II:

Weak

--

Alecto followed the professor silently, dripping from head to toe. She felt stupid and moody. Her wrath was about to break loose the moment Professor McGonagall opened her large mouth.

But for now, she settled, as they walked through the grounds and into Hogwarts, to glare threateningly at anyone who dared to stare or conjure up a giggle. Tough Alecto would never take this. If she acted how she felt, people would laugh.

She followed Professor McGonagall sullenly and sat down with a plop as the teacher closed the door to her Charms classroom.

She sat down quietly and clasped her hands together on the table. "What is this about, Alecto?" her tone was soft, but still very prodding and, to Alecto, the fact that she was trying to understand just made the whole thing more frustrating.

Alecto bit her lip. "Nothing," she muttered.

"Swimming in the lake, which is against school rules, is most certainly not nothing," a vein was pulsing on the side of her forehead; this pleased the tough side of Alecto greatly.

McGonagall was pleading now. "Please, Alecto," her blue eyes that were usually sharp and fierce were pleading.

Alecto's anger rose quickly inside her chest. "It doesn't matter!" she stood, screaming the last word, making it echo through the empty Transfiguration classroom.

The professor looked down at some of the pages scattered before her. "I'm disappointed in you," she stared up at Alecto with placid eyes. "I expected so much more."

Alecto bit back tears as she pushed back her chair, making it scrape loudly against the stone. "You're not the only one."

Professor McGonagall was not bothered. "Alecto…does this have to do with something you'd like to discuss?"

Alecto pushed the tears in the eyelids backward. "No!" she screamed.

"Does this have to do with your father?" she was silent for a moment. "Or your mother, perhaps?" the last question was cautious and quiet, but knowing.

"Why should it matter? What do you care?!"

Before McGonagall could say more, Alecto ran out of the room.

&.&.&.&.&.&.

Alecto sped through the halls, ignoring the staring students. _What am I, a freaking muggle zoo animal?_

Outside, the sky was beginning to grow dark and, on the horizon, a storm was brewing. She pushed her legs, running hurriedly towards the Slytherin common room. The tears were coming quickly now, waiting to spill forth.

She bit her lip and ran through a group of Slytherins on their way to dinner in the Great Hall. She tried to pretend that Bellatrix Black, her arch enemy wasn't among them. But Bellatrix was not one to be invisible.

"Hey! Carrow!"

Alecto turned, not in the mood. "What, Black?"

Bellatrix smirked. "What cha crying for? Upset about mummy dear?"

Alecto could no longer take it. She strode forward and punched Bellatrix square in the face. Bella looked stunned for a moment and suddenly she was on the floor, out cold.

"Don't ever talk about my mother," Alecto said under her breath before walking away promptly.

She slid into the almost empty Slytherin common rooms without a fuss (though she thought she might get a jeer from Lucius Malfoy, who was placidly gathering his things before get off to the Great Hall).

She let the tears begin to fall as she rushed up to her room. Every lonely tear she brushed away quickly. She hated to cry. Her mother had always said that to cry was to be weak.

Alecto knew she was weak. But she didn't want to admit it.

She opened the door to her dorm and collapsed onto her bed. She stared out the window as the rain began to fall sadly and make tinkling noises against her window panes.

Alecto clutched her locket around her neck and sobbed hard. She let the tears trickle down her cheeks freely, pretending that she didn't care that she was crying. She tried not to remember her mother's angry and bitter words but they always came back.

"_Crying won't solve anything, Alecto. It doesn't change a single thing. It's too close to failure. The more you cry, the weaker you are."_

Alecto grabbed the knife that she hid under her pillow and slashed her wrist a few times for good measure. _She's right. I can't prove her wrong._ She let the pain seep in and bring more tears to her eyes as the blood began to run down her arm.

As far as she was concerned, Alecto was a failure and a weakling.

And that's all she ever thought she would be.

- -

**Review replies:**

_Lewrahfanfics: _Thanks so much! And yes, I will continue. I love this story, because it's really a story for me, with things I am struggling with and things that are on my mind, so I really hope that other people can find things that they're dealing with in this story too. Haha. Yeah. I wish. I hope. But, hey, we'll see, right?

_XxHeartbreakRomancexX: _Well, thank you Crystal! I try. Haha. Thank you for your review and thank you for being a faithful follower!

_RougeOnFire: _Hey friend! I know we haven't talked in a while. How've you been? Thank you, I think so too. I'm hoping that people will be able to relate to her. But, who knows. Yeah, that's understandable. But, you might need to. In any case, it's fine if you can't, because he's just as creepy and villainous, so yeah. Yep, will do. Yeah, perhaps. But, I guess we'll see. ;]

- -

_Coming next week…_

But suddenly, one face dissolved. She'd seen it many times before, but she never knew that it'd ever turned to look at her. Until now.

The face belonged to Sirius Black. He was handsome, perhaps and had dark, clever eyes. He had a cocky smile that made girls go weak at the knees. All girls except for Alecto, who always assumed she saw past his good looks and saw who he really was.

But now she wasn't so sure.

Maybe it was the look of sympathy in his eyes. Perhaps it was the way he bit his lip slightly and how his jaw tensed, making it seem as though he actually wanted to help.

"_I'm sorry,"_ he murmured. He left the crowd, looking back at her once. Their eyes locked and his dark green eyes said everything and nothing.


	5. A Smile

**Title:** The Dementors' Princess

**Chapter:** III. A Smile

**Fandom:** Harry Potter

**Author**: MysticStoryteller

**Summary:**The true, tragic tale of Alecto Carrow, her love for Sirius, her hatred for Voldemort and the death that no one knew of.

**Rating: **T for violence, wizard cursing, suicidal thoughts, cutting, abuse and dark themes

**Pairings:** Sirius/Alecto, Alecto/Sirius/Dorcas and hints of Lily/James, plus one-sided Bellatrix/Voldemort and one-sided Voldemort/Alecto.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter fandom, much to my dismay.

**A/N: **I'm back! So, it's been so long, I know. I apologize, but my computer was whacked out with tons of viruses and we couldn't get someone out to fix it for two weeks because of the snow. So, yeah, anyways. This is the next chapter, which is good. You get to meet two new…but not really new characters in this chapter. The next chapter will be the beginning of just about everything, so, that'll be cool. Well, enjoy! Feed the starving writers and review!

--

**The Dementors' Princess**

Chapter III:

A Smile

--

Alecto did not stop crying until she fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt that McGonagall was screaming at her about how awful she was. In the background, Bellatrix was laughing with pure bliss at seeing her revenge take place.

There were others there, but she couldn't make them out. They were all hazy as though she was looking through squinted eyes, but she could hear their laughter as clear as day. It was almost as if they were glad to know that Alecto was not as tough as she seemed.

The bully princess was nothing more just a frightened little girl. It was ridiculous really. Like finding out that Santa Claus wasn't real: disappointing, but also slightly amusing.

But suddenly, one face dissolved in the crowd. She'd seen it many times before, but she never knew that it'd ever turned to look at her. Until now.

The face belonged to Sirius Black. He was handsome, perhaps and had dark, clever eyes. He had a cocky smile that made girls go weak at the knees. All girls except for Alecto, who always assumed she saw past his good looks and into who he really was.

But now she wasn't so sure.

Maybe it was the look of sympathy in his eyes. Perhaps it was the way he bit his lip slightly and how his jaw tensed, making it seem as though he actually wanted to help but felt powerless to do so.

And suddenly his mouth was moving. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear a word of it. She stared at his lips, trying to deceiver what he was saying.

"_I'm sorry,"_ she read. He left the crowd, looking back at her once. Their eyes locked and his dark green eyes said everything and nothing all at once.

She awoke in a cold sweat. It was still raining outside, but the thunder had subsided long ago. She shut her eyes again and fell asleep, seeing his pained but beautiful face on the back of her eyelids.

&.&.&.&.&.&.

The Saturday morning was jubilant with sunshine. However, Alecto was not so jubilant. She always felt this way after a long, hard night of depression- burdened, heavy and tired of life.

As she glanced at the clock, she realized that she'd missed breakfast and would miss lunch if she fell back asleep.

Wearily, she got to her feet and stared in the mirror. A drained and exhausted Alecto stared back. Under her eyes were dark circles and her hair was a mess; it was so frizzy and tangled that it looked like she'd been out dancing in the rain and had been zapped by lightning. She ruffled her hair a bit, trying, to no avail, making it straighten out.

"_As always," _she thought as she made her way down the stairs and into the Slytherin common room _"It won't get any better."_

&.&.&.&.&.&.

The Great Hall had always made Alecto feel a bit claustrophobic since the tables left little space for free moment and personal space. Maybe it was the simple fact that she wasn't much of a people person and probably never would be. Whatever the case, she never felt comfortable among all those smiling, perfect people and having to, sometimes, come in physical contact with them by squeezing through the tables was thoroughly unwanted by Alecto.

She sat down at began to butter a piece of toast. No one said much to her, though she got a wary glance from the pampered brat of a Malfoy boy, who was sitting not too far down from her.

Chewing quietly, she stared up at the ceiling and let her thoughts slam against the walls of her mind until she heard loud laughter that drew her out of her suptor.

"Oh Sirius! You're so funny!"

Emmeline Vance was sitting next to Sirius Black who looked nonchalant, even if Alecto thought his eyes seemed to show that he was feeling uncomfortable. James was wiggling his eyebrows at Sirius, seeming to say _"she's such a catch. You should ask her out."_

But, much to Alecto's pleasure, he stood. "I have to go," and then, as if to please his friends, he winked and said "see you later, Emme." The smile plastered on his face was far from pleased or real, in any case.

He socialized with a few friends and passed by Alecto's table on the way out. She watched him, barely aware that she was doing so, and suddenly his eyes met hers. A quick grin appeared on his lips as though he was pleased to see her.

Alecto was stunned.

&.&.&.&.&.&.

That afternoon, Alecto sat under a shady tree with a book in her hands. But her eyes were unfocused and distant. She still couldn't get Sirius's smile out of her head. She'd been spending most of the day dissecting it.

By now, she was convinced that he was dared to smile, although she'd went through several other theories. Some were, he was having constipation, he was just toying with her emotions or he just trying to be friendly. But still, why would he even bother smiling at her? They lived in two practically different worlds. She was a loner, he was popular. She was a Slytherin, he a Gryffindor. The list could go on for days.

It was only when someone sat down next to her, that she broke out of her train of thought. Her eyes met the sight of Lily Evans, a red haired, pretty girl smiling at her. "Hey there!" Lily greeted, being extra friendly. Her smile seemed to reveal that she was rather nervous, but really wanted something (what that something was, she couldn't guess).

"Hi," Alecto muttered, sinking into the Alecto that all of Hogwarts knew.

"You're Alecto, right?"

The dark haired girl nodded. "Yeah. You want to make something of it?"

Lily shook her head hurriedly, making her red hair look like lucid fire. "No. Not at all. I've just wanted to meet you, that's all."

Lily Evans? Wanted to meet her? This didn't compute. Lily Evans was popular in a non-cheerleader-like way. She would never intermingle with a girl like Alecto. Obviously the popular kids were trying to make fun of her with some sort of plot to lure her into a false sense of security, before ripping the rug out from under her and letting everyone have a good laugh at her. Well, she decided, setting her jaw, it wouldn't work.

In a surge of confidence and toughness, Alecto asked. "Are you only doing this because of a dare or are you just trying to get on my good side?" Honesty, she figured, was the best policy with these people. And most, in general.

Lily actually looked surprised. _Well, well, we have an actress on our hands_, Alecto's tough self was amused. "No, not at all! I just thought you might like some company, that's all. You looked a little…lonely" She looked slightly offended as she stood up and brushed herself off. "But I guess not… Well, bye!" She turned away and stared to walk back up the hill with her bag on her shoulder.

"Lily! Wait!" Alecto found herself calling out, but she had no idea why. "Wait…" she said again as Lily walked back and sat down. "I'm sorry."

Lily bit back a beaming smile. "It's alright."

"Friends?"

"Friends."

- -

**Review replies:**

_xoxLewrahxox: _Again, thank you! I'm so glad that you like it. Well, thank you. I really do the best I can and hopefully I can make a living out of it! But, we'll see. Yes, let's hope so. It won't be easy though- we both know that Alecto's pretty hard-headed. Thanks again!

- -

_Coming next week…_

She stopped in the winking torchlight, breathing hard. She drew a small knife from behind her back and slit her wrists slowly. She let the tears fall, but made no noise except for a quiet sobbing.

Slowly, she withdrew a small butter knife from her back pocket. She'd stolen it from dinner in the great hall. With a sort of solmeness about her, she slit her wrists, once, twice and a third time before collapsing on the ground in a heap of sobs.

_You should die. The whole world would be so much better off without you. You're a failure._

"Alecto?"

Alecto shot up, knowing how much trouble she would be in if it was a teacher that had caught her. But still, there was something about the voice that was careful and prodding, instead of furious like it should have been.

She felt a pair of strong hands curl around her shoulders. "Are you alright?" the voice asked. "What are you doing?"


End file.
